


Animal Attraction

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: First Times, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 10:04:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/797091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things heat up when Blair brings home an unexpected guest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Animal Attraction

## Animal Attraction

#### by Diana DeShaun

  
Not mine. Not yours either, I'd wager.  
It's literally been years since I   
wrote most of this, but I found it in a box and suddenly had to finish it--please forgive me if I've gotten any of the minutia wrong.   
Rating this 'R' is probably way overstating it, but as a parenet I wouldn't guide my child to read it, so 'PG' didn't seem to cut it.  
  


* * *

Jim Ellison smiled into the mirror over the bathroom sink as he heard his Guide's car pull into its usual parking spot in front of their building. It had been a chilly, cloud-covered day and the thunderstorms that had threatened for hours had finally arrived about an hour ago, bringing an early darkness and even chillier temperatures. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself, Jim was never able to truly relax when he knew Blair was on the road in such conditions--any conditions really. He rolled his eyes at his reflection as he imagined Blair's reaction to that. No doubt his Guide would give him a lecture on overprotective Sentinels, never Jim's favorite topic of conversation. Resolving to keep his mouth shut, he turned most of his attention back to his cleaning, idly wondering why Blair was taking so long to get out of the car. 

In the parking lot, Blair had finally decided there was no way he was going to get everything upstairs in only one trip. With one last disgusted look at the rain that had already drenched him once, he tucked a blanket more securely around the occupant of his passenger seat and leapt out of the car. Grabbing two huge bags of groceries--staples and canned goods he'd picked up earlier in the day-- from the back seat, he said "This is the last stop; I promise. Be back in a sec, sweetheart." 

_Sweetheart?_ Back in the loft, Jim dropped the plastic bottle of cleaner into the sink with a clatter as he concentrated all his senses on figuring out just who was in Blair's car. 

Meanwhile, Blair was muttering to himself as he dripped up five flights of stairs. Damn elevator. Too much to ask that today of all days it be working. Oh no, that'd be too easy. Blair tried in vain to blow his wet, tangled locks out of his face as he shifted his grip on the soggy bags in his arms. Finally, reaching the door to the loft, he paused to consider. If he tried to put the groceries on the floor before fishing out his key, he'd probably wind up picking them up all over the hallway as the bags were barely holding together now. Instead, he carefully maneuvered the bags between himself and the door, holding them in place with the weight of his body while he tried to remember which pocket he'd shoved his keys into. He'd just come to the grim realization that he'd left the keys in the car when the door in front of him whooshed open and he and the groceries went flying into the room. 

"Sandburg!" Jim yelped in surprise as he reeled backwards. "Ow! Shit!" Not all the peas in the Ellison-Sandburg household came in nice soft bags. Stooping to rub at his injured toe, Jim failed to take into account the fact that Blair had yet to roll to a complete stop--which abruptly occurred when Jim's head came into contact with Blair's wildly flailing arms. The resultant silence as the two lay in a stunned heap on the floor was only momentary. 

With a groan, Jim levered himself off the floor, tugging Blair up with him. "You okay, Sandburg?" 

"Yeah," Blair sounded a little shaky. "Sorry, `bout that, man." 

"No problem, Chief. After all," Jim smiled ruefully, "I have nine other toes." 

"Har har," Blair said with a sigh as he looked at the mess on the floor. He began to pick up the various cans and boxes scattered about. "Just let me get these into the kitchen, Jim, and I'll grab the mop--" 

Jim took a box of soggy crackers out of Blair's hand and shook his head. "You look like a drowned rat, Sandburg. I'll take care of this while you go dry off." 

Suddenly realizing he was not only wet but freezing, Blair opened his mouth to thank Jim when he suddenly remembered, "Marlena! Oh God, she's still down in the car!" 

Dropping the much abused crackers, Jim managed to jump in front of the door before Blair could fling himself out of it. "Whoa there, Chief. Who's Marlena?" 

"Jim!" Blair sounded downright desperate. "I don't have time for this right now! I have to go back downstairs!" 

"Sandburg!" Jim raised his voice and stilled his agitated guide. "You parked in the same space as usual, right?" Not waiting for confirmation, he continued, "Chief, there's nobody down there. Whoever she was, she's long gone...." His voice trailed off as a puzzled expression crossed his face. Concentrating, he frowned. "Nooo, there's something..." 

With a quick squeeze to Jim's bicep, Blair slipped around him. "Jim, don't zone now, okay? I have to get her, but I'll be right back." With a last anxious glance over his shoulder, Blair was gone, leaving Jim to follow his Guide with his senses. 

Unfortunately, nothing Jim heard lessened his confusion. Blair's feet thundered down the stairs and outside, splashing through standing water as he approached his car. Muttered curses at being rained on again changed to soft terms of endearment as he opened the car. Jim's expression soured, and he deliberately pulled his hearing back. He didn't know why his senses weren't extending to the woman Sandburg had so obviously brought to their home, but that didn't mean he wanted to listen to Blair's lovesick cooings. Jim snorted and shook his head in disgust. His senses were probably refusing to acknowledge _Marlena_ because _he_ didn't want to acknowledge her. It just wasn't fair. The loft was his home too, by damn, and he wasn't in the mood for-- 

His thoughts broke off abruptly as the loft door slammed open and Blair rushed inside accompanied by... a box. It was a fairly large box, and it was dry, thanks to the car's emergency blanket that Blair had draped over it. However, Jim couldn't quite manage to convince himself that one of Blair's usual statuesque girlfriends was inside. 

Bemused, Jim watched as Blair dripped over to the coffee table and set the box down, talking all the while. "Here we are, sweetheart. Safe and sound. Now you just relax, and Blair will have you all snug and warm in no time." 

A terrible suspicion began to form in Jim's mind, but that didn't stop him from stepping closer, watching as Blair removed the blanket, flinging it across the room with his usual abandon and replacing it with the afghan from the back of the couch. Catching Jim's eye, he grinned as if he'd just remembered that the other man was in the room. "Hey, Jim." 

With a sardonic smile, Jim returned the greeting. "Why, hi there, Sandburg. Have a good day?" 

"Um, yeah." Blair's grin flickered uncertainly. "Actually, you won't believe what happened--" 

"Oh, I doubt that." 

"Cute, Jim." Blair cleared his throat and placed on hand protectively inside the loose flaps of the box top. "Anyway, you know when the storm first hit up north it kept the power flickering all over the city, right?" 

"Right." Jim agreed casually. "And?" he prompted when Blair seemed to stall. 

"And..." Blair stopped abruptly and rushed over to Jim to stare earnestly into his eyes. "It's like this--the power kept going off, the emergency generator is on the blink, and a lot of the animals in the bio-labs are from warmer climes. It's pretty darn cold here after all." He finished with upraised hands and a shrug as if that pretty much explained everything. 

Actually, Jim acknowledged to himself, in Blair-speak it probably did. It made perfect sense in the world according to Blair Sandburg. But he saw no reason to let his partner off the hook by saying so just yet. "And?" 

"And!" Blair's eyes widened as his tone turned pleading, "Jim, we couldn't just leave them there to freeze. We couldn't!" 

Feeling vaguely guilty, Jim relented. "Okay, okay. Yeah, I can see that. So what? You brought home a couple of white mice?" Even as he heard the hopeful tone in his voice, he knew better. This--whatever this was--was no cute little lab mouse. The heartbeat was way too slow for one thing, almost as if... Realizing that once again Blair hadn't answered, Jim growled, "White mice, right, Sandburg?" 

"Brrr!" Blair gave an exaggerated shiver. "Is it cold in here, or is it just me?" Whirling away, he started toward the fireplace. "I'm gonna start a fire, okay, Jim?" 

With a guilty start, Jim realized he'd kept Blair standing in wet clothes all this time. Suddenly the identity of the mysterious Marlena seemed less important than the well-being of his Guide. 

Stepping forward, he took the kindling from Blair and pointed him toward the bathroom. "I'll take care of it, Chief. You go get that hot shower." 

"Well," Blair glanced at the box still sitting on the coffee table, "I should really take care of Marlena...." 

"I'm sure, she--it--whatever will be fine. Now go!" 

"Okay," Blair said reluctantly, "but I'll be right back." 

"Fine, fine." Jim made shooing motions then turned back to the fireplace. Someone--Blair--had left the flue open again, and the resulting dampness made the fire harder to start than usual. By the time he had a small blaze, Blair was out of the bathroom and dressed in some old sweats. 

"Man," he said, joining Jim by the fire, "I'm still chilly. And that afghan's only gonna help Marlena for so long." 

Jim rolled his eyes and added another log to the fire. Straightening, he said, "Okay, Chief. Time to fess up." 

Blair didn't even think of putting it off any longer. "Right." Whipping the afghan off the top of the cardboard box, he carefully lifted a cage out and over onto the table. Without pausing, he opened the wire mesh door and drew out a snake. A very long, very thick snake. 

Holding it carefully in his arms, Blair stepped forward. "Jim, I want you to meet Marlena." 

An almost comical grimace of distaste crossed Jim's face. "Ick." 

"Ick? Jim, did you just say `ick'?" 

"It's a snake." 

Blair chuckled. "Wow, man. Your powers of observation just blow me away." 

"Very funny, Sandburg. I just don't like snakes, okay? Especially big fat ones." 

"Jim!" Blair's voice held a mixture of laughter and reprimand as he shifted to free one hand to stroke the snake in his arms. "Marlena is not fat! She's just voluptuous. Aren't you, baby?" 

Returning his attention to the man standing warily near the fireplace, Blair continued, "Marlena is a red-tailed boa constrictor. Come see?" Blair shifted forward once again, as if to thrust the snake into Jim's definitely unwilling arms. 

"No!" Coloring a bit, Jim nevertheless continued adamantly, "Not only do I not want to see, I'd really prefer not to be in the same building with it." 

"Oh, come on. I know you saw plenty of snakes in Peru." 

Crossing his arms in a defensive gesture, Jim asked, "Why do you think I don't like them?" 

"Jim, boas hardly ever bite. They don't even have fangs. And our little Marlena is only about four feet long. Given her circumference, she should be a lot longer. As it is, she's not exactly the snake that ate Tokyo. But if you're afraid..." 

Exasperated, Jim sat on the end of the couch farthest away from Blair and the boa. "Look, Sandburg, when they become your idea of a gourmet meal and you become _theirs,_ it kinda changes your outlook. Besides," Jim leveled an accusing finger, "that is not a little snake." 

Waggling his finger in warning when Blair opened his mouth to respond, Jim continued, "I know, I know--I have no choice because you had no choice. You couldn't leave her there to die, but I'd very much appreciate it if you put Marlena and her cage into your room. Okay?" 

A bit flabbergasted that Jim was being, for Jim, so agreeable, Blair moved to comply at once. "Sure, Jim. No problem. But, there is one other thing." 

Jim didn't respond. He was too busy being mesmerized by the well-shaped backside that was bobbing and swaying as Blair attempted to persuade Marlena to return to her cozy prison. 

Oblivious, Blair continued, "We have to turn the temperature up to at least 78 degrees. Otherwise, Marlena will be cold." Emerging the victor at last, Blair snapped the cage door shut and straightened. "That's okay, right, Jim? Jim?" 

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sure. Be fine." Jim had no idea what he was agreeing to, but he had more important things on his mind--like Sandburg's ass. He could feel a rising wave of panic even as he wondered if it would feel as tight under his fingers as it looked.... Damn! Pushing both the panic and his guide's derriere from his thoughts, he headed to the kitchen to start dinner. 

In the meantime, Blair stepped over to the thermostat, studied it a moment, then gave it a hefty nudge. Humming under his breath, he carefully picked up Marlena and her cage and proceeded to place them both on his bed. 

Since it was Jim's turn to cook, he took his time, talking to Marlena as he strove to make their unexpected guest as comfortable as possible. By the time Jim carried their simple meal of soup and sandwiches into the living room, Blair was sure the snake was settling in nicely. 

The two ate then spent a couple of hours watching television until Jim swiped at his brow and stood. "Good God, Sandburg, how high did you set the thermostat? It's an oven in here." 

Having scoped out Jim's obvious intent to regulate the temperature, Blair beat him to the dial and took up a protective stance in front of it. "Whoa. Stop right there, man. The thermostat stays as it is." 

Shifting first one way then another to see around Blair, Jim's eyes widened when he finally got a glimpse of the setting. "85 degrees?" 

"Now, Jim, that's how you wanted it. Remember? You're the one who wanted Marlena to stay in my room instead of out here with the rest of the family." 

"The rest of - oh brother! That doesn't mean I wanted to die of heat prostration in my own living room! That snake doesn't have to have it 85 fucking degrees to stay warm, and you know it." 

Rolling his eyes, Blair retorted, "Oddly enough, Jim, I do know that. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near 85 degrees in my room. You might remember I mentioned how drafty it was once or twice? Marlena is a cold blooded girl from the tropics, and the only way to keep her warm in there is to make it pretty damn hot out here." Pushing his hair back from his face, he ruefully admitted, "Actually, it's not pretty at all. Whew." Fanning at himself, Blair peeled his sweat shirt off to reveal a short-sleeved tee underneath and sighed with relief. 

Realizing Jim was no longer standing in front of him, Blair walked over to the couch where the other man again sat. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. 

Jim was silent for another long beat, then he shook his head. "No, it's okay, Chief. You couldn't just leave Marlena to turn into a snake-sicle, and I _really_ don't like snakes, so... this is the best possible solution." Standing up, Jim made a show of peeling his top shirt off as well. "I guess I can revisit the tropics for one night." 

A beautiful smile bloomed on Blair's face as he looked up at his partner. "Thanks, Jim," he said softly. 

An odd expression flitted across Jim's face, then he smiled as well, "You're welcome." Their gazes held for a span of heartbeats, then Jim blinked and continued, "Believe it or not, Darwin, I do know a little something about snakes." 

Blair colored, "I know that, Jim." 

"No, I said I knew that." 

"But I knew that you knew..." Blair's voice trailed off as Jim flashed him a toothy grin and headed for the stairs. 

Shaking his head, Blair rose as well and headed for his room. "Cute, Jim. So, I guess we can stand it for one night, right?" 

Not really expecting Jim to answer, Blair nearly jumped out of his sweaty skin when Jim spoke from the door. "Right, Sandburg. Though it does seem like a lot of trouble to keep a female happy--even for you." 

Instead of answering, Blair just gaped as Jim raised a jaunty eyebrow and turned away, his now naked torso glistening slightly in the light. 

"Wow," Blair whispered. 

"What's that, Chief?" Jim called. 

"Um, nothing, Jim! Just talking to Marlena here." Giving the cage a perfunctory pat as he moved it to his desk chair so it wouldn't _exactly_ be a lie, Blair tossed his now damp tee-shirt into the closet, thought briefly of chucking his sweatpants as well, then decided against it. Jim was already way over Blair's comfort level as far as revealed Jim flesh was concerned. If Blair stripped down too... "Wow." This time he only mouthed it as he back out to rejoin Jim for the rest of what promised to be a long, hot evening. 

A pitcher of iced tea and a gallon of sweat later, Jim grimaced and rose from the couch. "Now I remember why I like the winter so much." 

Blair flinched guiltily, "Jim I am so--" 

"Blair, I told you, stop apologizing. You did what you had to do." 

With a sigh that turned into a groan, Blair pushed his sweaty hair off his neck, revealing the vulnerable line of his throat. 

Jim backed away hastily. "Right. Anyway, now I'm gonna go do what _I_ have to do." 

Letting his hair flop back down, Blair stood. "What's that?" 

"Take a nice, cool shower and go to bed. You should too. The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner it'll be morning." 

"And the sooner the Ellison Home for Wayward Travelers can return to its usual bracing environment. Good thinking, Jim. I'm just gonna make sure Marlena is snug then I'll hit the hay too." 

"Well," Jim seemed oddly reluctant to leave, but he finally turned and started up the stairs, "night Blair." 

Watching his partner until he was out of sight, Blair took a last look around before turning to his own small room. "Night, Jim." 

Once inside his room, Blair wasted no time in shimmying out of his sweats. Hooking his thumbs under the waist of his boxers, he started to remove them as well but thought better of it. He'd have to leave his doors wide open all night, and there was always the chance Jim would wander by. 

Carefully opening the door to Marlena's cage, Blair peered inside to see the boa resting easily. Looking around, he decided to move the cage and the chair it sat upon nearer to the door, allowing as much heat as possible to flow through the cage. The cage slid around a bit as Blair tried to adjust the chair's position, banging once against the door facing before Blair managed to position it just so, mesh door facing outward and closest to the nearby vent. With a nod of satisfaction, Blair patted the top of the cage once and said, "Goodnight, Marlena." 

He flipped off his light, flopped across his bed and descended into sleep, never realizing that the door to the cage was now ever so slightly ajar. 

* * *

An indeterminate amount of time later, Blair woke for his usual middle-of-the-night bathroom break. Rolling off the end of the bed, he promptly knocked his shin against the chair that he'd dragged in front of his doors. "Ow!" he hissed as he sat back on the bed to rub at his throbbing leg. 

Leaning towards the cage, he whispered, "Sorry, `bout that, Marlena. Hope I didn't disturb your beauty sleep, but you need to scoot over just a bit." 

Reaching down over the cage to grasp the seat of the chair, he almost fell again when his hand encountered, not the mesh cage door, but the opening where the door should have been. Frozen in shock and still befuddled from sleep, Blair couldn't understand what was happening. Where was the door? 

Moving at last, Blair felt frantically along the cage, swiftly realizing that the door was indeed still there--just standing wide open. "Shit," he moaned softly as his hand ventured inside. Just as he'd feared, Marlena was gone, and, in a blinding flash of intuition, Blair knew there were only two places where the boa constrictor would have gone. Hot as it seemed to the human occupants of Apartment 7C, Marlena would have instinctively moved toward the greatest concentration of heat. That meant either the fireplace or... "Upstairs," Blair told himself in a strangled whisper. 

A glance toward the barely smoldering fireplace eliminated it, and, since Blair knew warm air went up, that meant Marlena had too. Straining his eyes in the darkness, it seemed Blair could just see a large shape slowly rippling away from the top of the stairs. There was no doubt left in Blair's mind--Marlena was in Jim's room, and Blair was going to have to go get her. With a quick prayer to any listening gods to please keep Jim asleep, Blair rushed back into his room, grabbed up his trusty penlight, and started up the stairs. 

Once in Jim's room, Blair had to spare a moment to stare at the shadowy form of the man in question. Jim was sleeping on his stomach with only a bit of sheet pulled over him from the side. Sternly reminding himself that now was not the time to ogle, Blair dropped soundlessly to the floor. Shielding the penlight as best he could, he peered around--under the dresser, under the nightstand, under the... Damn it! Under the bed. Of course, she was under the bed. She was under the corner farthest away from Blair, and he had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't come out just because he was mentally screaming for her to. Thank God that Jim was subjected to Blair's nocturnal wanderings enough that he slept through most of them. 

Of course, there was no help for it. Blair was going to have to get under the bed to get Marlena, all four feet of her--without waking Jim. 

Sticking the penlight in his mouth, Blair placed both hands against the floor and began to wriggle forward and sideways at the same time. When almost two-thirds of him was under the bed, he stopped. Reaching and stretching his arms to their utmost, he still was a couple of feet shy of Marlena's chosen location. Suddenly, before he could continue to inch forward, there was a creaking sound above him. Jim was turning over. Blair scrambled frantically to turn the penlight off then froze as the big bed seemed to press all around him. Long moments passed before the pressure from above receded as Jim rolled back into his former position. Finally, Blair felt safe in resuming his mission. Reactivating the tiny light, he saw to his horror that Marlena was on the move. The big snake was slithering _up_ the far side of the bed! 

Desperately, Blair lunged for her, only to be stopped short by a burning pain in his right butt cheek. Trying to flex a bit and shimmy sideways only made it worse. In despair he watched as Marlena disappeared from view then he proceeded to contort himself first right then left until he was finally able to aim the penlight and his eyes at the area in question. 

A long, low "Shit!" escaped as he saw the bit of wire that was now extending down out of the bed and digging into his poor abused backside. An experimental scoot backwards only served to confirm his suspicions. He was well and truly stuck. Stuck under Jim's bed with a wire pinning him like a bug in a display. 

* * *

Jim struggled to wake from a feverish dream of his days in Peru. Unlike Blair who'd opted to wear boxers to bed from fear of exposure, Jim had been secure in his knowledge that no one could just `wander by' his loft and had gratefully chucked his boxers the second Blair had seemed to settle downstairs. Still... Hot. God, it was hot. Stifling a groan, consciousness returned degree by sluggish degree, and he realized that not only was he smotheringly hot, he seemed to be clasped in an embrace by... "Blair?" he mumbled muzzily, for surely that was his Guide's scent that surrounded him. Surely that was his Guide's heartbeat that had begun to speed up when he spoke. Surely that was his Guide's thick forearm around his waist.... 

In his befogged state, Jim frowned slightly. Blair's heart seemed awfully loud. But before Jim could think about it too deeply, the arm around his waist seemed to tighten reassuringly. Of course, Blair's heartbeat was louder because he was closer than usual. Much closer. Jim relaxed with a smile. He wasn't quite sure yet why his Guide was in bed with him, but he certainly wasn't against the idea. 

Reaching down, he patted Blair's arm to give some reassurance of his own then frowned again. His Guide's skin felt... odd. Different. Adjusting his grip, Jim prepared to roll over to face Blair then froze, his eyes opening wide. 

The arm--Blair's arm--wasn't an arm at all! It was long and thick and weirdly smooth and--and-- "Ack!" With a mighty heave, Jim threw himself from the bed, somehow managing to slap the lamp on as he hurdled past. 

The sudden burst of light revealed the big snake lying curled languidly in the middle of his bed. Totally engrossed in escaping from the object of his disaffection, Jim failed to look before he leapt further down the length of the bed to put more distance between them. This brought his entire weight right down onto the backs of Blair's legs. 

A high pitched scream--or two--split the air as Jim's arms flailed for balance like a novice trying to keep his footing at a log rolling contest. It was hopeless. The logs--Blair--refused to hold still, and Jim found himself falling flat on his face to land with an "oomph" beside the bed. 

Struggling to catch his breath, Jim blinked once, twice, and found himself staring into the scrunched up face of his partner. Reaching out to the penlight that lay near Blair's hand, Jim aimed it between them. "Blair?" he asked conversationally. 

"Yes, Jim?" 

"Something you want to tell me?" 

"Um, no. Not really. How `bout you?" 

"'How `bout me?'" 

"Yeah. You having trouble sleeping again?" 

"Well," Jim's voice was still the epitome of calm, "let's see. I wasn't having trouble sleeping until I woke up to what I thought was... er..." Suddenly the eye of the hurricane passed and the calm was over as Jim's voice rose sharply. "I wasn't having trouble sleeping until I woke up with a _snake_ in bed with me, Sandburg! So yeah, I guess you could say I'm having trouble sleeping!" 

Sounding insulted, Blair replied, "Well, sheesh! Sor-ry. One little snake in your bed and--" 

"One little snake! Sandburg that _little_ snake is as big as your arm! In fact, I thought-" 

The fake effrontery on Blair's face changed to a look of speculation as Jim suddenly choked to a halt. "You thought what, Jim?" 

Jim snorted. "I thought it was you," he said, self-deprecatingly. "I could smell you and hear your heartbeat, and when I felt _that_ around my waist, for one crazy moment I thought it was you." Jim shook his head at his own fancy. Then he remembered. "Hey, Blair?" 

"Yes, Jim?" 

"Why are we having this conversation on the floor? I get that you were chasing that snake, but trust me, she's not down here on the carpet." 

"Um, well, about that..." 

"Yes?" Jim levered himself up into a sitting position, casting at wary eye at the apparently slumbering Marlena. 

His attention snapped back to his Guide when Blair said, "I'm kinda stuck." 

"You're stuck? Blair, that's ridiculous. Get out from under my bed." Putting his hands on Blair's calves, Jim gave a yank. 

"Ow! Stop! That hurts!" 

"It hurts? What hurts?" Jim bent close trying to see. 

"My ass. I'm caught on a piece of wire." 

Resorting to touch when even Sentinel eyes couldn't seem to see enough details, Jim ran his hand carefully up Blair's thighs and onto his backside. "Ah, yeah, you're right. There's a broken spring hooked in your boxers." 

"It's hooked in more than my boxers!" Blair's protest died away as Jim continued to rub gently across the double mounds of Blair's bottom. 

The two lay in silence for long seconds, then Jim cleared his throat, "Ahem. Actually, Blair, it's not really. It's just your bubble butt rising to the occasion if you know what I mean." Jim thought about it again. "You know what you're gonna have to do? I can bend it back at least partway, but you're gonna have to lose the boxers and move forward instead of back." 

"Lose the boxers?" 

"Yes, Chief. All the twisting and turning you've no doubt been doing has gotten them hooked into that spring so deep there's no simple way I can untangle them. The best thing to do is to ooch forward while I tug the boxers back. Then you'll be clear of that wire and can turn your legs sideways and get out." 

Blair beat his heat twice against the floor then sighed. "Fine, but you're gonna have to stop rubbing my ass, or I'll be stuck because of an entirely different problem." 

Jim's big hand froze for a moment but then returned to the slow gentle circles he'd been rubbing, now adding an occasional squeeze for good measure. 

"Jim!" Blair gasped. "Man, do you know what you're doing to me?" 

"Maybe. Why don't you come out from under there and see?" 

Eyes wide, Blair began to shimmy forward. With Jim tugging on his boxers, it was a matter of seconds before Blair was lying on the carpet, clear of the bed. Still face down, and this time sans underwear. 

Casting his eyes down the line of Blair's back to his ass, Jim frowned. "Sandburg, you're bleeding." 

"Hm?" Rearing up only a little, Blair stared at the bloody scratch on his right cheek, sparing no more than a darting glance at Jim's casual nudity, then flung himself back onto the carpet and closed his eyes. "Told you it got me." 

"Yeah, you did," Jim said softly, reaching out to run one finger over the injury. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?" 

Blair's eyes flew open as he tried to match Jim's nonchalant tone while keeping his gaze fixedly on Jim's face. "Um, sure. Yeah, if you want to." 

He held his breath as Jim shifted forward and began whispering kisses over the top of the scratch. At the first touch, Blair released his breath with an explosive sigh, wiggling in pleasure as Jim became bolder and began to kiss the other ass cheek as well. "Jim... that's..." 

Stretching up, Jim lay half over Blair's body and whispered in his ear, "Feel better yet?" 

The heat from Jim's smooth, muscular, _naked_ chest burned into Blair like a brand. "God, yes. Well, at least it's beginning to. It might need a little more attention though, Jim. It was a pretty bad scratch." 

"True," Jim pretended to think about it for a moment then hopped up and extended his hand to Blair, tugging him up beside him. "You know, you're right, Chief, that is a bad scratch. And, the pain from it might be masking other, more serious injuries. I think we'd better check your dick too." 

"My dick?" That did it. Blair's eyes flew to Jim's cock, which seemed to be taking a definite interest in the proceedings, while his free hand instinctively covered his own. 

Reaching down, Jim took Blair's hand away. "Uh huh, just as I thought. I'm not positive, Blair, but I think you might have gotten a bad case of carpet burn that needs tending. That looks positively... painful. It's so red and... hot...." Jim's voice trailed off as he again extended one finger and ran it slowly down Blair's erection. 

Blair shuddered then smiled and nodded. "Oh yeah, carpet burned cock. Nothing worse. And it--it wouldn't be good to just ignore it." 

"I'm definitely not planning to ignore it, Blair," Jim assured him, still running that tantalizing finger up and down as he leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on Blair's soft lips. "I think we've both ignored it long enough, don't you?" Suddenly serious, Jim took a step back and looked in Blair's eyes. 

Blair's eyes searched Jim's in return, and he found the answers he needed. "It's been too long, Jim. I don't want to waste another minute." 

Pulling Blair tightly into his arms, Jim declared, "Me either, Chief. Me either." The feel of flesh on flesh was electric as Jim proceeded to kiss Blair until they were both forced to breathe. With a happy, open smile on his face, Jim backed slowly to his bed, his eyes never leaving Blair's. Sinking onto the mattress, he pulled Blair down with him. 

Blair relaxed into Jim's strength with a contented sigh then yelped indignantly as Jim emitted a strangled scream, then somehow managed to slide out from under his Guide and once again leap halfway across the room. 

"Hey!" Blair glared up as he raised his face out of a pillow. "What gives, man?" 

Jim just stood there trembling, one finger pointing shakily at something near Blair's head. With a big frown, Blair turned to see, and, though he would deny it later, scooted back so fast he almost fell out of the bed. "Yikes!" 

It was Marlena. Looking warm and content, she was still curled amidst the pillows and top sheet on Jim's bed. Recovering quickly, Blair smiled. "There you are," he cooed. "You naughty girl, trying to sleep with Jim behind my back." 

Moving calmly, Blair scooped the somnolent boa up. "Well, you can't sleep with Jim, Missy." Casting a smoldering look at Jim as he moved to the stairs, Blair continued, "From now on, nobody sleeps with Jim--except me." 

Following Blair down, Jim touched his back softly and agreed, "That's right, Chief. Just you." 

Smiling happily, Blair returned Marlena to her cage in the now desert-like warmth of his old room, then turned back to Jim's waiting arms. 

* * *

End Animal Attraction by Diana DeShaun: ddeshaun@yahoo.com  
Author and story notes above.

  
Disclaimer: _The Sentinel_ is owned etc. by Pet Fly, Inc. These pages and the stories on them are not meant to infringe on, nor are they endorsed by, Pet Fly, Inc. and Paramount. 


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